After the global Covid-19 pandemic brought air traffic to a virtual standstill for a good ten weeks, there are now clear signs of an approaching recovery. From mid-June, the number of regular connections from Berlin will increase to 40. One month later, there will already be 100 connections offered. It is likely that the number of daily passengers will more than double in June from the approximately 3000 there are at the moment. Up to 20,000 passengers are expected at the end of July. A crucial reason for the significant increase in the number of connections is that strict travel restrictions will be lifted from mid-June. This means that free travel to many European countries will be possible again from mid-June.

On the basis of these relaxed travel and quarantine regulations, several airlines have announced that they will resume an initially reduced service from mid-June onwards and will notably fly to holiday destinations in summer. Airlines that are gradually re-starting their flight operations include the British airline easyJet, which has its largest location outside of the UK in Berlin and is the market leader in the capital region. On June 2, easyJet announced that operations would start again at the end of June. More flights are expected at the end of July. Ryanair plans to increase its flight operations from 21 June with a further increase in July. Other airlines have announced the revival of their services from Berlin, including Turkish Airlines, Wizz Air, KLM, Air France and Qatar Airways. Lufthansa will expand its current service and, together with its subsidiaries Eurowings, Swiss and Austrian, will offer more flights from Berlin in July.

In light of this, it is conceivable that air traffic will pick up again and that significantly more aircraft and passengers can be expected within the next few weeks. However, the stricter distance and conduct rules for passengers and staff at the airports remain in place; significantly more space is required. In order to be able to organise the increasing air traffic in an operationally reliable and safe way until BER is commissioned, Tegel Airport will remain operational as originally planned until 8 November 2020.

(Last updated: 26/05/2020) The airport company takes the current health situation very seriously and is working closely with the responsible authorities at state and federal level to protect passengers, visitors, employees and partners from infection and to prevent the spread of the virus.

As of 9 May, the terminals at Schönefeld and Tegel airports may only be entered with a mouth and nose cover. Mouth and nose covers include both medical and self-sewn masks as well as scarves and shawls. Children under the age of six and persons who are unable to wear a mouth and nose cover due to a health impairment or disability are exempted from this regulation.

Changes to passenger processes at Schönefeld and Tegel Airports

The airport company has changed its handling processes because of the current low passenger volume. Passengers are requested to find their terminal online or at the airport via the monitors. People who are picking passengers up from the airport are requested to do so outside of the terminal and to maintain the prescribed minimum distance while waiting.

Tegel Airport

Most passenger handling will take place at Terminal C until further notice.

The TXL lost property office is closed and can only be contacted by email (airport-txl@4-services.de) until further notice.

The C-Lounge at Tegel is closed until further notice.

No more bookings are being accepted at the Sky-Conference conference centre until further notice.

The SXF lost property office at terminal section M arrivals is currently open as follows:

Monday – Friday: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

Saturday: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Sunday: closed

Local public transport:

The S45 tram is not expected to run to Schönefeld Airport until 4 May: Berlin tram information regarding the coronavirus

The RB14 regional train is mainly only running to Charlottenburg. Passengers can take the S9 tram line from Spandau: information about regional trains

General information for both airports

As of 9 May, the terminals at Schönefeld and Tegel airports may only be entered with a mouth and nose cover. Mouth and nose covers include both medical and self-sewn masks as well as scarves and shawls. Children under the age of six and persons who are unable to wear a mouth and nose cover due to a health impairment or disability are exempted from this regulation.

In addition, some airlines oblige their passengers to wear a mouth and nose cover on flights. Therefore, please check with your airline before your departure for the applicable regulations.

Passenger information counters are currently closed. If you have any questions, please contact us by phone (+49 (0) 30 6091 60910) or via Twitter (link: https://twitter.com/Berlinairport)

The visitors’ terraces at Schönefeld and Tegel are closed until further notice.

The opening hours of the shops and catering facilities are adjusted on a day-by-day basis to the changing requirements of the authorities and the volume of passengers. A basic range of services is available at both airports until further notice.

Security checks should be carried out without contact where possible. For this purpose, the Federal Police have made various adjustments. Passengers are now only allowed to travel with one piece of hand luggage. All other luggage must be checked in. Furthermore, passengers must take off their shoes and put them in a tray for inspection. Please plan enough time for security checks and follow the instructions of staff on site. Further information is available directly from the Federal Police:

Entry into Germany

General hygiene measures

Each individual is actively called upon to participate in efforts against the spread of the virus. The airport company therefore urges passengers, visitors, anyone picking up or dropping off passengers, as well as employees and partners to comply with and implement the usual and most important hygiene rules.

Wash your hands thoroughly (20-30 seconds) with soap and water several times a day. Alternatively, use a hand disinfectant.

Keep a distance of two meters from infected or possibly infected persons.

Postpone your trip; do not take anyone to the airport or pick anyone up if you have a respiratory infection.

Avoid touching mouth, nose or eyes with unwashed hands.

If you have to cough or sneeze, keep a clear distance to other people. Cough or sneeze into a tissue or into the crook of your arm (covered with clothing) to catch droplets.

(As of 20.05.2020) Some countries have issued entry bans or special controls for particular groups of people or flights from certain regions. This also partly affects travellers from Germany.The Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany currently warns against unnecessary tourist travel abroad, as severe restrictions on international air travel and travel in general, worldwide entry restrictions, quarantine measures and restrictions on public life in many countries are still to be expected.Travellers going abroad should consult the website of the Foreign Office for information on the current travel restrictions.

Return to Germany

All arriving passengers go through entry controls at the airport by the Federal Police. If there are indications of passenger with COVID-19 in cross-border traffic to Germany, the Federal Police will immediately call in the local health authorities. These authorities will make the medical assessment in each individual case and decide on any treatment.There is a quarantine obligation in some instances for travellers returning to Berlin and Brandenburg from non-European countries. Please ensure that you are aware of the valid rules.Furthermore, for the federal states of Berlin and Brandenburg further general contact restrictions and conditions apply and must be observed. Among other things, there is the obligation to wear mouth-and-nose protection on public transport.The terminals at Schönefeld and Tegel airports may also only be entered with mouth-and-nose protection. Mouth-and-nose protection includes both medical and self-sewn masks as well as scarves and shawls. Children under the age of six and persons who are unable to wear mouth-and-nose protection due to a health impairment or disability are exempt from this regulation. Please check with your airline before departure to find out whether you need to wear mouth-and-nose protection on-board the craft.

1,098 suitcases, 26 flights, 410 boarding passes - the future city airport, BER, started its trial operations as scheduled on 30 April, with around 280 employees from airline partners, aviation ground services, security service providers or the Federal Police, as well as the FBB.

However, owing to the Corona pandemic, there were numerous restrictions: Employees could only partake if they were absolutely required to do so, all wearing a mask over their mouths and noses and with a minimum distance of 1.5 m between them. Despite those involved being confronted by something somewhat different to what was initially expected, all operations were tested as planned.

On the agenda was the use of employee routes, identification and landside connections, check-in, the use of boarding pass, security and border controls. Section 8 of the Aviation Security Act (LuftSiG) was simulated as activated for the operation. There was also boarding and disembarking via passenger boarding bridges and buses, simple PRM processes and the use of baggage handling systems. The ACC, security, terminal and technical field office and other control rooms were in operation as well.

Everyone was extremely happy with the first day's achievements. At present, tests will be performed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The decision has not yet been made as to whether the trial operations can continue until the end of June using extras as originally planned. Owing to the Corona pandemic, it may be necessary to continue trialling operations using employees only.

The Dahme-Spreewald administrative district’s local building inspection authority confirmed the completion of Terminal T1 at BER following the completion of the construction work. This was preceded by months of checking the documents for construction completion submitted by the building owner, Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH (FBB), since 2019. In terms of building regulations, there is now nothing to prevent it from being used as a passenger terminal. FBB will now prepare its employees and partners for flight operations with the trial operation that starts on Thursday. In addition, aviation law-related approvals are now being obtained from the Joint Aviation Authority Berlin-Brandenburg (LuBB). Berlin Brandenburg Airport is scheduled to open on 31 October 2020.

Heike Zettwitz, the administrative district’s building regulation coordinator, was pleased “that the ‘passenger terminal’ construction site is finally being completed after years of construction work and that evidence for the safe use of the building is available”.

FBB´s CEO Prof. Dr.-Ing. Engelbert Lütke Daldrup also sees the approval for use of the Terminal 1 building as one of the most important steps on the way to reliably commissioning BER. “It has been a long and difficult road to the final approval from the building authorities. The last three years of hard work have finally paid off. I would like to thank everyone who has not given up on BER and those who have made the passenger terminal a safe building little by little thanks to their great personal commitment and perseverance. The opening of BER can be a signal during these times that things are looking up again in the capital region and that the economy is getting back on its feet,” said the FBB’s Chief Executive Officer.

As of today, the terminal sections of Schönefeld Airport have new designations: Terminals A, B, C, D Departures and D Arrivasl have been renamed terminal sections K, L, M Departures, M Arrivals and Q. The names of the multi-storey car park and parking spaces have also been changed.

The renaming is due to the opening of Berlin Brandenburg Airport in October 2020, when Schönefeld Airport will become Terminal 5 of the BER (T5). In order to avoid duplicate designations of terminal sections, gates and parking spaces at BER, the building and parking infrastructure of Schönefeld Airport has already been adapted.

Relaxed travel begins at home. This also includes the correct packing of your luggage.

You should first confirm your baggage weight limits with your airline before your flight. Make sure to take note of what you stow in check-in and hand luggage to avoid any nasty surprises at the airport’s security checks.

Online Check-in: Save yourself the trip to the check-in counter

Check in online before your flight from the comfort of your own home or on the way to the airport. Each airline specifies when online check-in opens, but in most cases, online check-in is available at least 24 hours before departure. Other benefits of online check-in:

You have an overview of any available seats on your flight and are able to choose your seating position.

Drop off checked-in luggage without having to queue at the baggage drop counter.

If you just have hand luggage, you’re able to head straight to security and your gate with your boarding pass and identification document / passport.

Getting to the airport: Not at the last minute!

Allow for enough time to make your way to the airport – the roads can get busy too. We generally recommend you arrive at the airport at least two hours prior to departure.If you are flying from Schönefeld and are arriving by car, it is recommended you book a parking space at the airport in advance. This will save you hunting for a space upon arrival.

If you are arriving via public transport, stay up-to-date on possible train delays and cancellations.

At Tegel Airport, you can also orientate yourself with the help of indoor navigation, available via the Berlin Airport app. The app offers other numerous helpful tips and services for both Berlin airports. Available free of charge on iOS and Android.We wish you a relaxed start to your holidays!

The terminal sections and car parks at Schönefeld Airport will be given new names at the end of March. When Berlin Brandenburg Airport is put into operation at the end of October 2020, Schönefeld Airport will become Terminal 5 (T5) of BER. In order to avoid duplicate names of terminal sections, gates and car parks at BER, the building and car park infrastructure of Schönefeld Airport will already be renamed for the summer flight schedule and therefore in time for the beginning of the trial operation.

The changeover will take place overnight from 30th to 31st March 2020. Travellers checking in online today may already see the new designated names.

In the future, the current terminal sections A, B, C, D will be called K, L, M, Q. Passengers who are only travelling with hand luggage and are already in possession of a boarding pass can use terminal section Q (for Quick Security Check). From here, passengers can then reach all departure gates. In addition, the multi-storey car park and car parking areas will be given a new name. The former numbering system will be joined by the number 5 in front of the previous designated number.

From the 2nd July 2020, the Danish airline DAT will fly directly from Berlin-Tegel to Rønne (Bornholm). The popular Baltic island can then be reached within an hour’s flight time on Thursdays and Sundays until the 9th August. An ATR 42 aircraft is used. So, nothing stands in the way of a holiday in the Danish sun paradise during the summer season.

South Pacific feeling on the Baltic Sea

The term “sunny island” is not an empty advertising promise at Bornholm. There are more hours of sunshine here than anywhere else in Denmark and the mild climate even allows fig trees and anemones to thrive. The easternmost island of the country shows itself to be incredibly versatile in a relatively small area: sandy beaches and rugged rocky coasts alternate with lush, partly primeval forests and almost endless cornfields. In the summer, Bornholm is an especially popular destination for beach holidaymakers. There are numerous dream beaches along the 150 km of coast. Among the most beautiful is Dueodde on the south-eastern tip of the island with fine white sand and crystal-clear water. Especially in the summer months, one can almost feel as though they are in the South Pacific instead of the Baltic Sea.

And besides beaches?

Apart from its dreamy beaches, Bornholm also has many sights to offer. Numerous enchanting places are worth a visit, for example, Svaneke in the East of the island. The medieval harbour town is well preserved and is characterised by colourful half-timbered houses – it wasn’t voted the most beautiful town in Denmark for nothing! To the north is the imposing Hammerhus Castle, one of Bornholm’s main attractions: the impressive 12th century castle ruins are enthroned on a cliff 74 metres above sea level and can be seen from afar on the otherwise largely flat island. Bornholm also has four of the seven famous Danish round churches, which are among the most important landmarks on the island. Speaking of flat: Bornholm can be explored by bicycle on excellent cycle paths.

easyJet is significantly expanding its flight offers from Berlin this summer. A total of 10 new summer destinations and two new year-round connections will be offered from Schönefeld and Tegel with the start of the summer flight schedule. These include numerous classic holiday destinations, such as Corsica, Crete and the Balearic Islands, as well as popular business and city destinations like Amsterdam and Porto. Flights to Comiso in Sicily, Italy, are departing from Berlin for the first time. Klagenfurt in Austria is returning to the route network from Berlin. The Berlin flight schedule for the airline with the distinct orange paintwork thus includes 110 connections this summer for both holidaymakers and business travellers.